Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI) has launched an international solidarity letter in support of Silvia Pérez Yescas, a Zapotec Indigenous woman human rights defender from Oaxaca, Mexico. The letter, signed by 228 Indigenous defenders from 48 countries, sends a strong global message denouncing the violence Silvia has faced and calling for urgent protection. Silvia Pérez Yescas, founder of the grassroots organization CIARENA, has long worked to defend Indigenous rights, and support Indigenous women in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. For this work, she has faced threats, intimidation, and harassment. In response to the wave of support, Silvia stated: I am very grateful for the international support because I don’t feel alone—I feel accompanied. I hope our President in Mexico can intervene so that the attacks and killings of Indigenous women defenders, as well as the femicides in the state of Oaxaca, finally come to an end. Joan Carling, Executive Director of IPRI, emphasized: No society should ever tolerate abuse, violence, or attacks against any woman—under any circumstance. Those responsible must be held fully accountable. Every woman has the right to live in dignity and with respect, regardless of her race, ethnicity, age, or economic status. To allow impunity is to perpetuate injustice. We stand with Silvia Pérez Yescas and all Indigenous women who courageously defend their rights and communities. The solidarity letter underscores how Silvia’s case is emblematic of a broader crisis: Between January 2017 and May 2025, Mexican human rights organizations documented the murder of at least 67 women defenders and 6 women journalists. From 2020 to 2024, the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders in Mexico registered 1,383 attacks against 321 women defenders and 22 organizations—often involving surveillance, threats, and smear campaigns. Alarmingly, at least one in three attacks occurred while the defender was under government protection, mostly through the federal Protection Mechanism. The most recent review of Mexico by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) echoed these concerns, expressing alarm over: • The high number of murders and disappearances of women defenders and journalists; • The perpetration or tolerance of attacks by state actors; • The serious deficiencies in protection mechanisms, even for those already under protective measures. CEDAW urged Mexico to: • Strengthen the Protection Mechanism with gender-responsive, intersectional risk assessments and adequate resources; • Ensure effective investigations and prosecutions of perpetrators; • Address systemic failures in protection to prevent attacks and ensure non-repetition. IPRI joins this call and urges the Mexican State to uphold its international obligations—including under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), CEDAW, and the American Convention on Human Rights. Mexico has a long history of commitment to international human rights law; it must now match that reputation with real action and political will to protect Indigenous women defenders like Silvia. * The letter, bearing all the signatures, was delivered to the Ministry of the Interior on July 25 and subsequently sent to the Special Prosecutor’s Office for High-Impact Crimes in Oaxaca and to the INPI on July 28. Find the full letter and signatories here: https://tinyurl.com/b8c25ze5
